The Viter Energy Mints Blog

The effects of caffeine on one's mental state are an important area for scientists to explore because about 90 percent of the world's adults take the stimulating substance. Some prefer coffee, some tea, some soda pop and others take it in energy drinks. Caffeine is also in chocolate, some over-the-counter pain relievers and other products, including Viter Energy Mints.

As to depression and caffeine, some scientists say it helps alleviate symptoms, and some say it causes depression to worsen. Some claim caffeine's positive effects are so great that it can help prevent suicide.

Scientists have been studying whether eight 8-ounce glasses are necessary, and whether moderate amounts of caffeine make you dehydrated. The answers: no and no.

It was claimed caffeine makes you urinate so much you become dehydrated. In fact, taken in moderate amounts, caffeinated beverages can contribute to your overall daily water needs. Drink up, but beware you might have to go to the bathroom a lot.

Does caffeine stunt growth? A lot of people may say that, but the science doesn't support the contention. It's an urban legend now. About 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine in one product or another.

Caffeine is the world's most popular stimulant. It and coffee are legal, and in moderate doses do no harm but actually may help people by decreasing the risk of several conditions.

U.S. National Public Radio published a February 2016 story titled "Caffeine for Sale: The Hidden Trade of the World's Favorite Stimulant" about how caffeine is removed from coffee beans and then where it goes after the decaf coffee is made.

Now there is a huge, worldwide trade in caffeine extracted from coffee beans. It is used in soda, energy drinks, medications and candies that have no natural caffeine content. And people wonder if synthetic caffeine is more dangerous than caffeine from natural sources. Scientists say there is no difference between the two.

Should you limit or halt intake of caffeine during pregnancy? Some experts advise limiting caffeine consumption. Others say to stop taking caffeine altogether. After many years of study into the risk of caffeine during pregnancy, scientists are still divided. But all agree that pregnant women should have no more than moderate amounts of caffeine.

One scientific study found taking too much caffeine during pregnancy carries some risk. Another study found no risk of miscarriage. But why put the fetus in danger of birth defect or even miscarriage?

The researchers at Longborough University found that no other common measures to combat drowsiness while driving, such as cold air, napping without caffeine, caffeine without napping or a break without a nap, worked as well as caffeine naps in helping combat drowsiness.

In the 1990s, the Loughborough researchers measured brain waves of subjects in driving simulators. The caffeine nap worked better than anything at eliminating mid-afternoon drowsiness and preventing driving errors than in all of the other controlled groups they studied.

In other words, you can actually hydrate yourself by drinking coffee, tea or soda, though plain water is still recommended as the best way to get your daily fluids.

But WebMD says caffeine can increase the need to pee. It can depend on how much caffeine you take, your tolerance for it and the type of food, drink or medicine you get it in. And if you have urinary incontinence or have frequent urges to urinate, it may increase after drinking a caffeinated beverage

Anhydrous caffeine is derived from coffee beans, guarana berries and tea leaves and other natural plant sources. It is prepared in a lab and is reduced to white crystals. Anhydrous caffeine dissolves in water and mixes easily with other substances. But this powder is powerful in minute doses. It is best to allow experts who make approved products, guided by people who know the chemistry and how much to administer in, say, a caffeine pill or mint.

There are many articles and blogs on the World Wide Web touting caffeine as a supplement for enhancing athletic performance and increasing gain from weightlifting and other types of workouts

It seems caffeine may enhance memory and learning, but not if it is taken before the lesson is to be learned. Research from a few years ago says caffeine should be taken after that important business meeting, crucial college lecture or other knowledge-imparting event you need to recall.

Some studies show a benefit from caffeine on memory, some show none. Same with alcohol. But it seems scientists find with few exceptions that good diets promote healthy minds and bodies.

Caffeine appears to raise blood pressure, in some people in the short term and in others in the long term. This is an important question because 80 percent of Americans drink coffee every day and about 90 percent of people worldwide consume caffeine in one product or another.

It's also an important question because high blood pressure can cause strokes or heart attacks.

Peppermint is healthful and stimulating when eaten, drunk, inhaled or applied to the skin, researchers are finding. The ancients of Greece knew it, as did Renaissance English healers. It sounds too good to be true, that a common candy ingredient that tastes so good is also good for what ails you.

Is there a better-tasting candy than a mint? Some might say chocolate tastes better. But those who say it have all the finesse and sophistication of a rough brute and obviously have such bad taste that they cannot tell the difference between a merely good confection (chocolate) and one that is transcendent (mint). (Just kidding! To each his own.). But really, in a peppermint patty, what is given top billing? Hint: They're not called chocolate patties.

Whatever you do, don't begin using caffeine to treat ADHD without a doctor's advice. Parents with children with ADHD especially should take this advice to heart. Caution should be used by other people who have other health problems, such as anxiety, high blood pressure, glaucoma or heart, liver or kidney disease.

One doctor says: "Caffeine is not the answer for real, bonafide ADHD. I don't want parents to be deluded into a false sense of security that if I just go to the local Starbucks, I'm going to cure my son or daughter's ADHD."